Novel carriers ensuring enhanced anti-cancer activity of Cornus mas (cornelian cherry) bioactive compounds

[Display omitted] •Enteric coated nano -structured liquid crystalline as a novel carrier for oral consumption was developed.•Cornus mas extract was successfully loaded in enteric coated nano-structured liquid crystalline.•The stability of antioxidants capacity of Cornus mas was improved by nano-encapsulation.•The enteric coating protected nano carriers and entrapped active ingredients from harsh gastric environment.•Encapsulating the Cornus mas extract increased the apoptosis rate and cell cytotoxicity of cancer cells. Cornusmas’ bioactive compounds are powerful antioxidants. In this study, we evaluated the antioxidant activity of the encapsulated bioactive compounds of Cornus mas extract (CME) and its release in semi digestive condition via enteric coated nanocarriers (NCs). The two forms of CME, encapsulated into enteric coated nanocarriers (CME-NCs) and free CME, were studied to determine the effect of encapsulation on the stability of antioxidants. Then, their effect on cell cycle, cell viability and apoptosis of cancer cells were studied. The characterization analysis reported the mean particle size and zeta potential value of NCs equal to 22.7 ± 6.58 nm and -16 ± 5 mV. The results showed that CME-NCs could improve IC50 value 1.33 and 1.47 times more than the free CME after 24 and 48 h of incubation. These findings confirmed that CME-NCs could stop the cells proliferation in G1 phase, and caused apoptosis in cancer cell line HT-29.